# Beef sampler!



## jwise (Dec 27, 2009)

I was at the local supermarket today (HEB), and there in the meat department was American Kobe New York strip steaks! I'd never SEEN Kobe beef in the supermarket, much less on sale! Right next to the Kobe were dry-aged New York strips for the same price as the Kobe, and the USDA prime strips were on sale for only $7.99/lb!

I bought one of each, and brought them home to my wife. I grilled all three to a perfect medium-rare, and served them up with a salad for dinner. We paired the steaks with Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico (one of my absolute favorites!), and aged gouda.

We almost never eat strips, but instead eat ribeyes and tenderloins. We find them too tough, and not nearly as flavorful. I held off on doing any preparation on the steaks (I usually marinate them in a worcestershire/butter sauce with spices), and served them without anything on them (usually prepare sauteed mushrooms to go with my steaks). So, the strips were all served 'neat', without even salt or pepper.

*The verdict:*

The Kobe was noticeably 'buttery', and very tender. Not as tender as a filet mignon, but moreso than a ribeye. The flavor was also very good, but enhanced with some freshly ground sea-salt added after a few bites.

The dry-aged strip was rich in flavor, and pretty tender. My wife did not enjoy the flavor of this one as much as the Kobe, but I thought it was very good.

The USDA prime was very good. It was about what I would expect from a New York strip. Not too tender, but not too tough. The flavor was decent, but not great. All in all, I wasn't impressed. I thought about picking up a Select grade steak for comparison, but that would just remind me why we don't normally eat strips.

I plan to grill up a couple tenderloin filets later in the week, prepared according to my usual methods. I am confident that they will be better (and more enjoyable) than the (much more expensive!) Kobe strip.

[I have pictures, but can't post them yet...]


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## jwise (Dec 27, 2009)

Here are the cuts of beef: top to bottom: Kobe, Dry-Aged, USDA Prime


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## jwise (Dec 27, 2009)

My latest dish:










Grilled tomatoes, lobster tail, and a beef tenderloin smothered in sauteed mushrooms.


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## LincolnSmokes (Nov 5, 2009)

Very nice, a little surf n Turf never hurt anyone! Let me know what you think of the Kobe, i've never tried it, but have heard great things.


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## jwise (Dec 27, 2009)

Beef is bought in two ways, by cut and by grade. Even though I was buying the highest grade available (Kobe), the cut was not to my liking (NY Strip). 

I discovered that even the best grade NY strip can't compete with an average grade tenderloin. The best news is that a decent tenderloin can be found on sale for $9/lb without too much trouble. Kobe strips were on sale for $20/lb, and are regularly $30/lb.


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